The current method of protecting cotton modules which have been compressed into large blocks, in a conventional manner, and left in the field is to place a protective tarp over the modules. These module tarps are removed and rolled up at the cotton gin where they are picked up by the growers and reused multiple times until the tarps wear out. The problem with this practice is that the tarps cover only the tops and sides of the modules leaving the bottoms of the modules subject to moisture and the like, which results in losses. To overcome this drawback, recent developments of module forming and wrapping devices have been incorporated in cotton harvesters which form cylindrical modules and wrap the entire peripheries of the modules with one-use plastic sheet material before discharging the modules onto the ground. While the entire circumference of the module is covered to protect it from rain, ground moisture and other contaminants, the wrapping material used requires each module to be wrapped with three to four layers of wrapping in order to hold the cotton together in the round module, which is problematic since the cost of this amount of wrapping material is quite expensive (currently about $35-$40), and, in addition, in fields with high yielding cotton it takes too long to wrap the module and the cotton harvester, which has an accumulator for holding cotton until the wrapping process is finished, has to stop or slow down to permit the module to be wrapped and ejected from the module-forming chamber since the accumulator fills up before the wrapping process is finished.
Another problem is that the wrapping material is supplied in rolls including separate Sections of wrapping material, each being of a length sufficient for wrapping a single Module, with the sections being connected end-to-end by folded adhesive joints which are pulled apart at the end of the wrapping process so as to expose adhesive on the tail of a wrapped section of wrapping material which causes the tail to sticks to a previously wrapped layer of the section of wrapping material so as to hold the wrapping material tight on the module. It has been found that the pre-applied adhesive, which must be weak enough to permit the tail to be separated from the wrapping material supply roll at the end of the wrapping process, is not strong enough to hold the tail in place in all conditions; especially When it is hot or there is contamination from leaf trash present U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,209 discloses a wrapping material supplied in rolls including sections of a length for wrapping a single module connected together end-to-end by pre-applied adhesive, in the above-described manner.
While it hat been proposed to apply Velcro® or Velcro®-type fastener strips to opposite ends of sections of plastic wrapping material for the purpose of securing the length of wrapping Material about a bale, it is not contemplated in these designs to use the Velcro® also as a connector for securing the lengths together in end-to-end relationship whereby the lengths can be gathered once used and reconnected together for reuse. Such a proposal is disclosed in UK Patent Application GB 2 221 841A, wherein, after use, the wrapping sections are gathered and connected together for reuse using adhesive strips. Another disclosure of Velcro® type material being used to secure plastic wrapping sections about a cylindrical module is found in Publication No. US 2006/0101624, dated 18 May 2006, wherein Velcro® is applied to discrete wrapping sections of one-use plastic wrapping material including net material, with the Velcro® including hooks or shapes designed for contacting underlying or overlying fiber elements of segments of the wrapping sections so as to fasten the wrapping material tightly around the circumference of the cylindrical item being wrapped.
The problem to be solved then is that of providing a reliable reusable plastic wrapping material suitable for wrapping cylindrical cotton modules.